Mantras - 4

[Guest guest]

4. Mantras - How They Work

 

Find out more about Mantras

 

In Kundalini Yoga, we often accompany a movement or even a breath

pattern with sounds we sing or meditate on silently, called " mantras. "

Mantras are repetitive sounds we make over and over to bring about a

change in our consciousness.

 

Chanting may seem strange to you at first, but it is a powerful tool for

healing. People often think deeply what the purpose of a certain chant

is in a certain meditation. The words are chosen not only for their

meaning as words, but also for a scientific reason that goes far beyond

pure definition. All mantras we use are based on the science of " Naada "

-- the secrets hidden in sound.

 

The roof of our mouth has eighty-four meridian points, all along the

upper palate. Mantras were given to us as special gifts Long ago; highly

evolved beings went into deeply meditative states. They began reciting

certain sounds that made the tongue hit these meridian points in the

mouth in certain combinations. It is kind of like playing the piano --

if certain notes are struck, a beautiful song is produced. With every

word we speak, or in this case the mantras we recite, we hit certain

" keys. " If the right combination of keys is struck, then the

hypothalamus, thalamus, and pituitary in the brain are all stimulated in

such a way as to bring our minds into a meditative state, and even into

ecstasy. And just think, if we can produce that state without drugs,

what a world this would be.

 

This is also why sometimes you'll walk into a room in which people have

been gossiping, swearing a lot, or generally talking " low-vibration "

talk, and the whole room will feel depressed and heavy. Other times, you

might walk into a room in which a lot of chanting or uplifting kinds of

conversations have been occurring, and you'll feel lightness and ease in

the room. What you're experiencing has a lot to do with the science of

Naada.

 

Each mantra was chosen by those ancient wise people because it

encapsulated an uplifting vibration into a few choice little words. When

we recite them, we stimulate certain parts of our brain that actually

change the chemical balance of the brain. This changed chemical

composition allows a more relaxed and expanded state of consciousness to

overtake our minds.

 

" In the coming age, the mental insanity, this has started breeding now

and which will multiply and multiply, will not be curable by any

medicine. At that moment the practice of chanting in Naada yoga will be

most effective. It will bring about a balanced state of mind. " Yogi

Bhajan "

 

One of the most powerful mantras we use in Kundalini yoga is " Sat Nam, "

meaning " I am Truth. " The beautiful pure vowel sounds are very similar

to the Latin " Amen. " We end each yoga class with a long, sung " Sat Nam. "

 

We all use mantras all day long -- repetitive, out loud, or silently --

phrases such as " It is hard, " or " I am tired. " " I do not know what I am

doing, " " It will never happen ... .. I am stressed, " " There is not

enough time, " or " There is not enough money. "

 

We do not even notice them becoming part of our reality by repetition.

We act out on what we say, live on how we think. If your mantra is, " I

am stressed, " you will be stressed. Or if your mantra is, " It is never

going to happen, " – it is never going to happen. In the beginning

was the word, and the word was God. So powerful are our words to

ourselves and to others.

 

Mudras: Magic Hand Positions

 

Along with the use of mantras, we sometimes use " mudras " in Kundalini

Yoga and Meditation. These special hand positions are designed to bring

energies into the body, and along with the use of mantras and eye focal

points, they send certain messages to our brain. They aid in producing

calming and meditative states within our being.